FG reveals number of Churches qualify to conduct marriages

The Federal Government has lamented that most worship centres conducting marriages in Nigeria lack the license to do so under the statutory marriage Act.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Barr. Georgina Ehuriah stated this on Wednesday at a one-day stakeholders’ conference on conduct of statutory marriage in accordance with the Marriage Act cap, M6, LFN 2004 as amended.

“Presently, only about 4,689 licensed places of worship in Nigeria have updated their records with the Ministry of Interior of which only 314 have renewed their licenses to conduct statutory marriages.

“The implication of this is that marriages conducted in unlicensed places of worship are not in line with the Marriage Act and cannot serve legal purposes when the need arises; and such unlicensed places of worship are operating contrary to Section 6(1) of the Marriage Act,” she said.

The Permanent Secretary said the decision to organise the stakeholders’ conference was borne out of the ministry’s experience in the discharge of its duties “which pointed to the fact that there are extant issues in the administration of the conduct of statutory marriages which require the joint attention of key stakeholders.“